Toilet article and method of making same



June 15, 1937. A. E. sEREwlcz TOILET ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MAK I NG SAME Filed May 20, 1955 Patented June 15, 1937 UNITED .STATES PATENToI-Flcs Albert E. Serewicz, Chicago, Ill., assignor of onehalf to WillisP. Wrisley, Park Ridge, Ill.

Application May 20, 1935, Serial No. 22,424

Claims.

,The present invention relates to toilet articles and a method of makingthe same.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a novel toilet articleor means preferably 5 comprising a water soluble medium, such as soap,bath salts, etc., and a resilient or elastic porous envelope or casing,composed of sheet material, such as sheet spongy rubber, enclosing orenveloping the medium and being so constructed and arranged as to affordfacile access of water to the medium through the pores or passages ofthe envelope and the passage of the dissolved medium to the exterior ofthe envelope to form a lather or a lotion having the desired aroma, or

bothin case the soap and bath salts be used together.

The invention also comprehends a novel method of producing the envelopefrom sheet material as also for producing the whole article,

comprising the steps of so shaping or locating the sheet or sheets ofelastic porous material, such as sheet spongy rubber with or without thepiece of soap or a mass of bath salts between them, and so uniting theedges of the sheet or 5 sheets, as by cementing or otherwise, as to forma hollow envelope or casing for enclosing the piece of soap or the massof bath salts or the like.

Other objects, capabilities, advantages, features, process steps and thelike are comprehend- 30 ed by the invention as will later appear and asare inherently possessed by the invention.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a sheet of material used to form the envelope;

35 Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of an assembly of parts when initiallyforming the article;

Fig. 3 is a similar view at a final stage of th process of forming thearticle; i

Fig. 4 is a side view of the finished article;

40 Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the same with a portion broken away;

Fig. 6 is a side view of sheets of material for initially making theenvelope without the interposed piece of soap or mass of bath salts orthe 45 like, the latter to be later inserted in the enpiece of soap or amass of bath salts or the like enclosed or encased therein, the envelopebeing, if

desired, normally stretched over the soap or salts and clear.

In one mode of making the article, sheets or pieces, I and 2 of spongymaterial are placed inparallelism or substantially so, as shown in Fig.

2 of the drawing. These sheets are held by series of members 3 and 4having projections 5 and B for engaging the sheets at or near the edgesthereof and to hold the sheets slightly in a stretched or taut conditionso that a piece of soap l or a mass of bath salts crystals may beinterposed between the sheets l and 2 and held in interposed-positionduring the forming of the envelope. The members 3 and 4 are so locatedand arranged as to be moved toward each other and to curve and turn theedge portions of the sheets so as to bring the perimetral edges 8 and 9into abutting relation as shown in Fig. 3. Before effecting thisoperation, it is 'preferable to apply layers I 0 and Il of adhesivesubstance, such as rubber cement or the like, to the edges 8 and 9respectively (Fig. 2). After the adhesive sets, the members 3 and 4 areremoved and the'flnished article is as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. Thecovering or casing l--2 is in suiciently stretched condition to clasp apiece of soap or mass of bath salts even when the size of the soap orsalts mass has diminished with use, and also to hold the poressufficiently open for ready entry of water and outflow of soap or saltssolution to form a lather or lotion. y

In another mode of producing the article, the envelope may be firstsealed along the major portion of its edges, such as at three sidesthereof, leaving the fourth side open for the later insertion of thepiece of soap or the mass of bath salts and the subsequent sealing ofthe fourth side. As shownV in Fig. 6, the two sheets l and 2 are placedin adjacency, the edges 8 and 9 covered With-the adhesive or cement l0and Il, and the members 3 and 4 applied to the edge portions to pressthe corners in such a way as to cause the edges 8 and 9 to turn and abutas shown in Fig-'7 with the sealing material therebetween. Theresiliency of the material will cause the body portions of the sheets Iand 2 to separate so as to produce a hollow casing as shown in Fig. 7.After the cement sets, the piece of soap or a mass of bath 'salts may beinserted through the opening at the fourth side as shown in Fig. 8. Indoing this, the casing or envelope will stretch and will be held instretched condition over the surface of the soap piece or the mass ofbath salts. The fourth side is then closed and sealed in the same manneras explainedabovein connectionwithFigs. 2 and 3. It will be observed byan inspection of Figures 3, 4 and 6 that when the squared edges 8 and 9are brought into abutted relation, and permanently united, the angularrelation of the curved or turned portions contiguous to the united edgesis permanently maintained, thereby providing a chamber having marginaledges provided with an internal curvature.

In the embodiments chosen to illustrate the invention two separatesheets are used, but it is to be understood that the inventioncomprehends the making of the casing or envelope from a single sheet aswell as from two or more sheets of resilient porous material, such assheet spongy rubber. 1f a single fiat sheet be used, it is folded so asto bring the edge portions into adjacency and to unite the edge portionsin the same manner as described above. In the case of using a sheet intubular form, the edge portions at the open 4o out to obtain a smoothjoint at the exterior.

In devices where a chunk or block of spongy rubber is used instead ofsheet material, it has been necessary to form a cavity or recess in thechunk in which a piece of soap may be placed. The making of such acavityis very difiicult and costly. Moreover, the thickness of the materialoutside the inserted piece of soap is too great and proper passage ofwater and solution cannot occur. To avoid those disadvantages, thepresent invention comprehends the making of a hollow casing or envelopefrom sheet material andso uniting the edge DOrtions thereof as toprovide a hollow or space between the body portions of the sheet for theenclosing of soap or bath salts or the like. v

While I have herein disclosed and Iupon the drawing shown a fewembodiments of the invention and methods of producing the same, it istobe understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but comprehendsother constructions, arrangements of parts, details, features, processsteps and the like without departing from the Vspirit of .the invention.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim: 1`."'A toilet articlecomprising a water-soluble toilet medium. an\ envelope of sheet-likespongy edges each'arranged at approximately right angies toV'thesurfa'ciels? of the material, portions of said'materialebntiguoustosaidedges being permanently curved from the planes of said surfaces,with the surfaces of adjacent marginal edges in abutted relation, and asealing material permanently uniting said abutted edges in such manneras to maintain the angular relation of the curved portions with respectto the other portions of the envelope, the marginal edges of theenvelope being provided with an internal curvature.

2. A toilet article comprising a water-soluble toilet medium and anenvelope consisting of two sheets of spongy rubber of sufficientporosity to afford facile passage of water therethrough, said sheetsbeing disposed opposite each other and provided with marginal edges,each arranged at approximately right angles to the surfaces of thesheet, portions of said sheets contiguous to the edges being permanentlycurved, the curved portion of each sheet being directed toward asimilarly located curved portion on the other sheet, with the surfacesof adjacent marginal edges in abutted relation, and a sealing materialpermanently uniting said abutted edges in such manner as to maintain theangular relation of the curved portions of each sheet with respect` tothe surfaces of the sheet, the marginal edges of the envelope beingprovided with an internal curvature.

3. A method of producing an envelope of porous resilient material intothe form of a hollow member comprisingthe steps of so locating 4portionsof sheet spongy rubber in substantially parallel and coextensiverelation with the free edge portions thereof in opposition, pressing andturning said edge portions of the spongy rubber sheet portions to causesaid portions to bend and to bring the edges thereof into abuttingrelation with each other, and sealing said abutting edges to form ahollow envelope for completely enclosing and entirely surrounding awater-soluble medium whereby passage of iluids is effected only throughthe pores of the envelopeV at all points thereof. i

4. A method of producing an envelope of porous resilient materialcomprising locating sheetlike portions of spongy rubber in substantiallyparallel and co-extensive relation, each sheetlike portion having a setof marginal edges at approximately right angles to the surfaces thereof,inserting a piece of soap between the said sheet-like portions, turningthe edge portions of said sheets toward each other to positions atapproximately right angles thereto, so as to impart a curvature to thesheet-like portions, and bringing the marginal edges of said sheet-likeportions in abutted relation, and permanently maintaining saidcurvatures by sealing the surfaces of the abutting edges to completelyenclose and entirely surround said piece of soap to form a hollowenvelope for completely enclosing and,

entirely surrounding said piece of soap, whereby e of fluids is effectedonly through the pores of the envelope at all points thereof.

`5;-A method of producing an envelope of porous resilient material intothe form of a hollow member comprising the steps of so locating portionsof sheet spongy rubber in substantially parallel and coextensiverelation withthe free edge portions thereof in opposition, pressing andturning a given number of said edge portions to cause said portions tobend and to bring the lperimetral edges of said edge portions intoabutting relation with each other, the unpressed edge portion being inopen condition, sealing the abutting edges that have been pressed toform a hol- Cil low envelope with an open side, inserting a toiletmedium within said. hollow envelope through the open s/ide thereof, andpressing and turning the edge portions of said portions of sheet spongyrubber at the open side of said envelope to bring said edges into mutualabutting relation, and

sealing said edges to close said envelope for completely enclosing andfor entirely surrounding the contents in said envelope whereby passageof fluids is eiected only through the pores of the envelope at allpoints thereof.

ALBERT E. SEREWICZ.

